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Today’s reading is Ephesians 3:1-4:32.

“Be angry and do not sin; do not let he sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil” (Ephesians 4:26-27).

Many of us learned the #1 rule of dysfunction as we grew up.

RULE #1: Don’t Feel

Few of our parents meant to teach us this rule, but it gets passed on pretty often. Perhaps we gathered that the only legitimate feelings were our parents’ feelings. If we didn’t feel as they did about things we were punished, scorned, belittled, lectured, yelled at. We learned quickly to get rid of those feelings. Even in churches this rule gets passed on. Almost without thinking the rule is taught that Christians are supposed to always feel great. “How are you doing?” we ask someone. “Great!” the other says. “Couldn’t be better,” another says. “God’s blessing my socks off,” says a third. We wonder what is wrong with us for feeling lousy, angry, sad, hurt. But we refuse to let them see our supposedly unChristlike feelings.

But wait. Look again at what Paul says. He doesn’t say, “Don’t be angry, it is a sin.” He says, “Be angry and do not sin.” Anger is not a sin. It is simply an emotion. Anger happens. So does sadness. So does hurt. So does fear. So does regret. So does guilt. So does shame. These feelings are not sins. We don’t have to hide them. Certainly, none of these feelings is a justification for sin. Just because I’m afraid, hurt, sad, or angry doesn’t mean I get to yell at my wife and kids, calling them names, beating them. That would be sin. But the feelings themselves are okay.

But I must not let the sun go down on these emotions. I don’t think that means I have to eradicate these emotions before I go to sleep. I’m not always sure that is possible. Rather, I think I need to express these emotions in a proper and healthy way as quickly as possible. Otherwise, the stuffed emotions will come out in sinful explosions or in sinful escapes later.

It’s okay to feel. But be honest with your emotions. Define them to yourself and share them with those closest to you so you can work through them without sinning.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

PS. What struck you in today’s reading?

Today’s reading is I Peter 5:1-II Peter 1:21.

We live in a gilded age, especially in America. If we have a sickness, doctors have a cure. If we have a hunger, chefs have a food. If we have a need, technology has a solution. We have machines that wash our clothes. We have hot water pumped to our bathrooms. We have waste pumped away from them. We have air conditioners for the summer and heaters for the winter. We have cars for travel. Everything we could possibly want is at our fingertips.

Therefore, we have a really hard time coming to grips with suffering. If we are suffering at all, we think something must be wrong. Something about life must be broken. We especially think that as Christians sometimes. Because not only do we live in a gilded age, but we love God. Surely, since He loves us suffering is the last possible thing we will endure.

However, I Peter 5:10 says, “After you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.” Let’s face it, that passage says Christians will suffer. Certainly, that was written within a specific context of the historical persecutions the Christians were facing. It is not a blanket statement that we will all suffer. But it does demonstrate that Christians suffer. If that happens to us, instead of thinking life is broken, we must instead take comfort that our suffering will, in the big scheme of things, be for a short while. In the end, God will restore us, confirm us, strengthen us, and establish us. We may be suffering right now, but God has not lost us in some heavenly red tape. He knows those who are His and we will be lifted up to comfort. We must simply be patient and trust in the Lord.

Don’t turn on God when you suffer. What good will it do for you to have hard times here and then turn your back on the One who can give you good times in the hereafter?

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

P.S. What did you get out of today’s reading?